1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to devices for feeding and handling stacks of plates such as lead plates used in the production of lead acid storage batteries. More particularly, the present invention relates to a battery plate feeding and handling apparatus that more effectively removes battery plates from stacks of plates, aligns or orients the plates as they are being transported, cleans the lugs on the battery plates, wraps the battery plates in insulative material, synchronizes the transport of the plates with down-stream operations, and rejects damaged or otherwise defective plates.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Lead acid storage batteries are formed from a plurality of lead plates that must be individually handled and processed during the manufacture of the batteries. Prior art devices for feeding and handling such plates suffer from several limitations that limit their utility. For example, prior art battery plate feeding and handling devices often have difficulty in removing the forwardmost plate from a stack of plates without removing more than one plate and/or damaging the plate as it is removed.
Additionally, prior art battery plate feeding and handling devices have difficulty gripping the plates and positioning lug brushes during the cleaning of the lugs of the plates, making it difficult to properly clean the battery plates. These prior art devices also have difficulty positioning or orienting the plates before they are enveloped in insulation, often resulting in mis-application of the insulation.
Prior art battery plate feeding and handling devices also have components that are difficult to adjust and/or changeover. These prior art devices also have difficulty discarding defective plates and have difficulty synchronizing the movement of the battery plates among the various stages of the battery production line.